My eating habits

I was debating whether to go to town on the bus, or drive in, this morning. I chose the bus to save money. Having to keep to timetables means I can't think, 'Oh, I'll just nip to so and so to get cat food' or whatever, and I can't carry loads of bags so that restricts my spending. Mind you I am very good at resisting temptation, and can easily walk past a choccy display without caving in.

I needed to get a mug shot taken for my licence application. It so happens that my photo needs renewing at the same time that the HGV/PSV part runs out. The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority) are happy to relieve me of £20 for the privilege of changing my pic from a smiley, youngish, sort of attractiveish looking lady, to a sour faced non smiley, wrinkled old prune, who is only a few years away from resembling the late Sid James.

I found a machine to take the picture in the shopping precinct. I did look for one in Hull yesterday, but as they were all £5, I was rather hoping to find one which costs £4. This was not to be, so I fed the damn machine with my five one pound coins and 30 seconds later it spit out five copies of the most gruesome pictures I have ever seen. I must remember not to look at babies and small children in buggies.

Well, that's one picture posted off, what do I do with the other four? Sell them at £1 each, probably not. Embroider them onto a greetings card, possibly, the stitching would be an improvement. Throw darts at them, yeah, good idea, ha ha.

I'm going to add a bit more here to yesterdays post. There was a bit of interest in how much you should spend on food shopping. Saving for Travel seems to be well organised with her £60 a month challenge, and lizzie is taking her shopping very seriously, stocking up on staples when the price is right.

On the other hand Becky admits to spending too much, because there are three people in the house. Becky I understand your dilema, it is far more difficult to eat frugally, and satisfy everyones likes and dislikes. Other members of your family may not understand how expensive food is these days, what I suggest you do is write down in a note book every penny you spend on food. Then week by week, sit down round a table and present them with the figures. Have a discussion, ask them for ideas on how you can reduce the cost. If you can offer them an incentive, like, 'we could afford to have a nice holiday if you changed your eating habits'. Or, 'lets look at how much we could save towards a new car'. Factor in an amount each week to save in a jar, cut down your spending by that much, then watch the savings grow. Decide what your treat is to be, and reward yourself when you have saved enough. Good luck.

Lizzie asks if I am vegetarian, as I have mentioned it before. I don't eat any meat, but ocassionally I do eat a bit of fish, mainly to give me a bit of variety in my food. I am not an expert in concocting delicious vegan meals, due to my laziness in the kitchen. I don't want to spend ages faffing around, my food has to be simple. Cutting out meat altogether will greatly reduce your food bill, and I can guarantee you will not starve.

Last night I wanted something quick and easy. A small amount of water in a pan (I never measure anything), splash of toasted sesame seed oil, throw in a handfull of frozen sweetcorn, let it simmer for a minute, take pan off heat and throw in some cous cous. Wait till the water has been absorbed, return to heat if necessary. Arrange on plate with half a tin of tuna fish, the cats had the other half. Ready in a few minutes.

Tesco Value tuna fish chunks in brine are 45p, and it's not all mush floating about in a lot of liquid. Another frugal meal. You could garnish it with a bit of salad if you so wish.

I bought six free range eggs from town today. B & M, or Home Bargains are one of the cheapest places to get them, 89p. So lunch today was two rounds of toast, from a frozen wholemeal loaf which cost 14p. Half a tin of Value spaghetti 15p a tin, and two eggs. So that's 30p eggs, 7.5p spag, 2p bread. Washed down with a cup of coffee. Did the job a treat.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, for me food is a fuel to keep my body alive. Yes it's a bonus if it tastes nice and I wouldn't eat anything that is horrible, but I don't choose my food purely on taste. If my head tells me that something is bad for me, I leave it alone. I try and steer clear of fat, sugar, and salt. Never add salt to food, and never fry anything. I do allow myself a biscuit, or a cake, or an ice cream, or a bar of chocolate, now and again. But I can just as easily look at them in the shop and say, no, not today, because it's crap.

My stomach works best if I have small amounts of food more often, and I don't like to eat a meal after 7pm. Some of my dinners do look a bit on the large side, especially my big plates of steamed veg, but these are easily digestible and pass through quite quickly, unlike stodge which hangs around in your gut for hours. I never have a pudding because I am full after the meal. If I want something sweet, like rice pudding, yogurt, or fruit, I eat it seperately as a snack between the meals.

I know people who bolt their food down, shovel it in like there's no time to breath. This is the wrong way to go about it. Digestion starts in the mouth, it takes me an hour of slow chewing to clear my plate. People say to me I have to eat it quickly before it goes cold. Why? What does it matter, hot or cold, it is still the same food.

Anyway, dinner time and the pussies want feeding. Toodle pip. Happy eating.